Champagne 1979

Bejing Palace 29.10.19

Geir Gjerdrum om årgangen i Champagne:

"1979 er en årgang i samme komplekse og elegante stil som 1985 og 1995, samtidig som den har vist en bemerkelsesverdig holdbarhet. Godt lagrede flasker vil smake fantastisk selv idag. Personlige favoritter er Philipponnat Clos des Goisses og Roederer Cristal, men dette er også en stor årgang for Krug der både vanlig Krug og Clos du Mesnil overbeviser stort"  

Champagne Clos des Goisses 1979, Philipponnat
De fleste Clos des Goisses jeg har smakt har skuffet formidabelt, så da var det spennende å smake en eldre årgang før "den dårlige perioden". Degorgert 7. januar 1987. Den første årgangen av Clos des Goisses kom allerede i 1935.
Karamellfarget, en touch lysere og lettere enn de andre, mild citrus, lime og medium syre. Overraskende lineær, slank og rettvinklet. Mangler dybde i frukten, den er enkel, men overraskende presis og syrlig. Legger på seg noen botrytisnoter etterhvert. Jeg likte nok denne bedre enn de andre rundt bordet. 90 poeng.

Champagne Charlie, Charles Heidsieck 1979

Gylden lys cognac farge, autolyse, noe møbelpolish og sopp på nesa. En utviklet og moden champagne med nedfallsfrukt og hint av oksidative epler, klassisk bitter engelsk marmelade i finish, rolig mousse som dør ut i for store glass. Men den har intakt god rik og energisk frukt. Viser årgangens storhet i champagne. 1979 var den første årgangen av Champagne Charlie og den ble senere kun laget i  årgangene 1981, 1982, 1983 og 1985. Men champagnehuset sier de skal komme

med flere årganger i 2022. 

Så det er bare å glede seg..... 92 poeng

Champagne Vintage 1979 Krug

Karamell og fat, slank i munnen og en edel munnfølelse. Utviklet stil, men holder seg innafor. Men bør drikkes. Overraskende frisk og pigg og en god flaske. Har denne xtra fete og komplekse Krugdimensjonen med fornem nese av eik med en lang frisk og bitter finish. Toast, kaffe og mandler. Overraskende god tatt i betraktning at 1979 var første året Krug lagde Clos du Mesnil (lansert i 1986)  93 poeng.

Champagne Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut 1979

Lysere strågul, blank, mindre og ivrige bobler. Overraskende lite utviklet, slank og elegant. Autolyse, gjær, melne epler, bitter kant i finish. God indre energi, synes den manglet litt fedme og rikhet. Flere rundt bordet var mer entusiastisk enn meg. De fleste RD`er jeg har smakt har hatt en veldig utviklet og spesiell stil, denne var betydelig mer tiltalende. Extrem god flaske, denne kan fortsatt lagres. 

92 poeng

Champagne Cristal 1979 Louis Roederer

Mørkere whiskyfarge med flatere bobler. Men har frisk syre fremdeles med en karakterfull britisk smak av brun marmelade i finish. Karamell, har en god indre spenstighet fremdeles og dette var en god flaske. Har drukket flere flasker fra 80 tallet som har vært mer utviklet enn denne. 93 poeng.  

Champagnesmaking på Romsås

14.11.14:

Takk til alle champagneentusiastene som hadde med bidrag og til Morten Christiansen som stod for arrangementet. Takk også til hobbykokken Lars for strålende mat.

Sjelden kost med en Salon mini-vertikal;

Salon 1988 er tidligere Champagne of the Year i Vinklubben, men denne flasken var nok ikke helt optimal: utviklet med tydelige brune nedfallsepler,  nøtter og vel aromatisk for perfeksjon. Årgangen er spesielt vellykket i Champagne (og for Salon) og dette skal i utgangspunktet være 98-100 poeng. Men det var det ikke. Det brune oksidative preget forsterker seg i glasset og bli mer sherrypreget over tid. Men smaken er overraskende lineær og frisk. Tveten kjøpte denne på Vinmonopolet på 90-tallet. På grensen til ikke å bli vurdert, men jeg gir den 90 poeng. 

Salon 1996 derimot er et helt annet dyr; med en mere transparent farge og grønnskjær i glasset. Citrus, mandarin, stram og fremdeles lite utviklet. En kompleks munnfølelse, kraftig frukt og det er litt vanskelig å vurdere kvalitetspotensialet i en knytt og vanskelig tilgjengelig Blanc de Blancs på dette nivået. "Lemon-curd" i ettersmak som er veeeeldig lang. Dette kan bli 100 poeng. Vi får nøye oss med 97 poeng  foreløpig.

Salon 1997 lever litt i skyggen av de andre mht. årgangsvurderinger, men dette synes jeg var overraskende bra: noe mere blank og gylden i snittet enn 1996, en bredere munnfølelse gir god valuta for pengene allerede nå. Selv om nok dette kan lagres videre, drikker den veldig godt for øyeblikket med pen mousse, god balanse og husets typiske citrus-bitt. Prismessig er jo dette et betydelig bedre kjøp enn de to forrige, men den mangler kompleksiteten og dybden i frukten. 92 poeng.

Champagne Charlie 1979 MAGNUM gylden i fargen nesten Sauternesaktig, moden og utviklet i munnen. Den manglet litt fizziness og livlighet. Linoelum, lanolin og endel reduktiv på nesen dro ned. Veldig vinøs og "gammeldags" munnfølelse med bittert appelsinskall og ikke den klassiske autolysemunnen.  Innslag av mynte, tydelig Pinot, noe eik og en rik og fet avslutning. Lang ettersmak. Den vinøse stilen overskygger endel, samtidig med den odde aromaen som gjør champagnen litt rar. Kjøpt på Vinmonopolet, den ble bare solgt i magnum ? 94 poeng.

Champagne Charlie 1981 var en mere klassisk champagne. Deilig lett munnfølelse. Utviklet og bør nok drikkes. Også denne har en bitter hale. Et smalere fruktbilde, klassisk eple med fin mousse. Slank og presis. Men mangler kraft. Overraskende bra fra et medium champagneår. 93 poeng.

Champagne Charlie 1985 var mindre utviklet, nesten primær mot de andre i rekka. Strågul farge, god og frisk mousse. Veldig ren i snittet, en perfekt champagne som igjen viser seg godt fram. God flaske fra Kims kjeller. Her må det være mye Chardonnay ? Citrus, gjær og autolyse. Brødbakst og brioche. En super elegant champagne med stram mineralitet og megalang ettersmak. My kind of champagne ! 96 poeng. 

Vinklubben hadde Champagne Charlie 1985 i mai 2014:

Utviklet stil og en meget god munnfølelse. Semimoden, holder litt igjen og den kan fremdeles lagres. Kompleks og rik, bitter avslutning med sjø og elementer av tang. Endel dosage er det nok, kraftig og voluminøs i stilen og et kledelig snev av oksidative epler. Strukturert og den har noen tanniner bakerst som gjør den til en fabelaktig matchampagne. En stor champagne med en sinnsyk lengde. Pt. mangler den kanskje noen forføriske elememter. Men de vil komme. En meget god flaske og denne virker bedre enn den vi hadde for ett år siden. Jeg trodde dette var en Cristal. Flere hadde denne som den beste champagnen. 96 poeng. Medtatt av Kim.

Krug Collection 1982 0 bobler ved skjenking. En vinøs og utviklet nese. Høy konsentrasjon av moden frukt med lang og rik ettersmak i munnen. Degorgert i 02 eller 03 ? Mangler noe løft og eleganse, men den har mye smak og har en eksepsjonell sjarmfaktor. Collection-serien behøver nødvendigvis ikke ligge legger på bunnfall før gogging/release. Og det merkes litt her. Burde vært drukket for noen år siden, eller bare en litt dårlig flaske ? Men en enorm konsentrasjon drar opp. 
93 poeng.

Krug 1988 helt motsatt champis vs. 82. Mye bobler, brioche, rik, toffeèkaramell og igjen en veldig bra konsentrasjon. Men mye renere og mer citrus enn 82. Mye energi og intensitet, bra balanse, smidig og en fantastisk champagne. Solid og karakterfull, kan fortsatt lagres. Husker jeg serverte denne til svigermor nyttårsaften 2000 og hun syntes den var sur ! Og det var den vel også for 14 år siden ! 97 poeng (and still going !)

Krug 1996 ganske lik farge som 1988 og det sier vel mest om sistnevnte. Men helt annerledes i munnen. Xtrem thight, citrus og den formelig spruter energi i en lineær retning. Bør fortsatt lagres og dette kommer til å bli knallbra. Vanskelig å vurdere om denne er bedre enn 88. Så derfor 97 poeng her også.

Rosè champagne blir aldri min favoritt. Hvis man mener champagne er et kvalitetsprodukt har jeg aldri skjønt hvorfor man skal helle i endel rødvin i sluttproduktet. Men denne flighten var ikke så gal:

Deutz Rosè 1990 viste typisk rustikk  og en ubalansert stil. Rød og frisk farge, men mangler harmoni, eleganse og "renhet".   Dette er et godt eksempel på hvorfor dette ikke er topp i min munn. 87 poeng.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Rosè 1996 var en særdeles elegant rosè champagne. Lys og lett med bittert appelsinskall, delikat, noe vandig og lett å kritisere. Syrlig og 96 stilen skinner godt igjennom. Mer champagne enn rosè champagne. Denne rosè champagnen er foreløpig bare laget i tre årganger 1985, 1996 og 1999. 91 poeng.

Fra winereviewonline.com
One year after he founded his Champagne house in 1851, 29-year-old Charles-Camille Heidsieck took the unusual step, at that time, of journeying to the United States to sell his Champagne.  In fact, he was the first Champagne producer to visit the U.S.A.  Champagne Charlie, as he became known, a gracious gentleman and a born salesman, personally sold 300,000 bottles of his Champagne in the U.S. in one year!  He made three more visits to the U.S. before the Civil War broke out in 1861, andbecame a celebrity in this country, with his picture in many of the newspapers.  In the following years, Champagne Charlie and his descendants also did well in Europe and the Far East, establishing new markets for their Champagne.

With a beginning like that, you would think that Charles Heidsieck would be a big-selling, well-known Champagne in the U.S. and throughout the world.  But it is not.  Instead, Moët & Chandon (including Dom Pérignon), Veuve Clicquot, G.H. Mumm, Nicolas Feuillatte, and Charles Heidsieck’s sister-house, Piper-Heidsieck, are the dominant sales leaders, both here and throughout the world--along with Lanson, Pommery, and Laurent-Perrier in Europe.

Champagne Charles Heidsieck’s journey has been a difficult one since its brilliant start with its founder.  In the 20th century, the house had several changes of ownership.  The first turning point upwards in its fortunes took place in the late 1970s, when Joseph Henriot purchased Charles Heidsieck; both houses are inter-twined through marriage (Champagne Charlie’s wife was an Henriot).  Joseph Henriot hired Daniel Thibault, Champagne’s most highly-regarded winemaker, as cellarmaster.  But when Joseph Henriot took over as top man of Veuve Clicquot, Charles Heidsieck was again rudderless, going through three more sales.  In 1985, Rémy Martin Cognac (a.k.a. Rémy-Cointreau) purchased both Champagnes Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck (it had purchased Champagne Krug previously).  Rémy-Cointreau’s first move was to re-hire the brilliant  Daniel Thibault in 1986 to be Chef de Caves for Charles Heidsieck.  Four years later, Thibault also became winemaker of  Piper-Heidsieck.

The improvements in both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck were remarkable under Thibault’s guidance.  Charles Heidsieck became the premium Champagne of the two, and Piper-Heidsieck (always a big seller but of average quality before Thibault) improved immeasurably.  

Thibault insisted upon using an extraordinary amount of older reserve wines, 40 percent, in Charles Heidsieck’s flagship Champagne, its Brut Réserve.  Despite this expensive move, Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve remained as reasonably priced as other non-vintage Champagnes.  (Only Krug’s Grande Cuvée, more than three times the price of Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve, uses more reserve wines, up to 50 percent).  

I noticed an amazing improvement in Charles Heidsieck’s Champagnes, particularly the Brut Réserve, around 1990, and began singing its praises in my articles, as did many other writers.  Charles Heidsieck became an insiders’ Champagne, appreciated by the cognoscenti, but still not recognized by consumers.  In the U.S. particularly, Champagne sales have been so dominated by the few big Champagne houses that few other Champagnes have caught on.

The use of 40 percent reserve wines has made a huge difference in Champagne Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve.  You first notice the color, a deeper gold that most other NV Champagnes.  Next, the aroma, a much toastier, yeastier bouquet than you would expect from an average-priced non-vintage Champagne.  Also, the weight of the Champagne on your palate is much more full-bodied than you would expect.  And finally the long, complex finish, which lingers on the palate.  It is no wonder that Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve has become the favorite NV of many of us who love Champagne.  Champagne Charles Heidsieck uses the same traditional blend of varieties in its Brut Réserve:  One-third Pinot Noir, one-third Pinot Meunier, and one-third Chardonnay.

Tragedy struck Champagne Charles Heidsieck in February, 2002, when Daniel Thibault , six times awarded the designation Winemaker of the Year in Champagne, passed away at the age of 55.  Fortunately, Thibault was followed as Chef de Caves by his long-time assistant, Régis Camus, who has ably carried on, keeping the high quality of both Charles  Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck.

Meanwhile, Rémy-Cointreau--who had previously sold Champagne Krug to LVMH in January, 1999, because of declining sales of its cognac in the Far East--decided to sell both Champagne Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck in May, 2011, because they were not profitable enough for the spirits company.  Fortunately for the Heidsieck houses, Rémy-Cointreau turned down a bid from the huge LVMH conglomerate and sold the Heidsieck Champagnes to the family-owned luxury goods company, EPI.

EPI took over July 8th, 2011, closed the Paris office of the Champagne houses and moved all the employees to Reims, where both wineries are located.  EPI then hired Cécile Bonneford as CEO of Champagnes Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck.  Cécile was Managing Director of Champagne Veuve Clicquot from 2001 to 2009, and previously was marketing director for several large food companies.  I recently met with Mme. Bonneford, and was impressed with her frankness and honesty, refreshing if unusual qualities for a CEO.  She is very happy to be working for EPI, who she said is genuinely interested in keeping the quality of both Champagnes at a high level and is looking at the long-term picture rather than seeking immediate profits for the Champagnes.

Régis Camus has been promoted to Director of Winemaking for EPI while also retaining the title of Chef de Caves for Piper-Heidsieck.  His long-time assistant Chef de Caves, Thierry Roset (who has been with Champagne Heidsieck since 1988), is now Chef de Caves for Charles Heidsieck Champagnes.  

Roset has made significant changes for Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve.  He has reduced the formula for the number of wines going into the Brut Réserve from 120 to 60, all of which he has personally selected.  According to Roset, his aim is to make a Brut Réserve with greater complexity, depth, and richness.  

I tasted the new Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve, based mainly on the 2008 vintage, still with 40 percent reserve wines aged from five to 15 years (all of the company’s 10 to 15 year-old reserves are held exclusively for Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserve).  The new Brut Réserve was aged 36 months on its lees and disgorged in 2011.  It is smashing, the best Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve that I can recall tasting, and I’ve had quite a few over the years.  It is a deeper gold color than previous Brut Réserves, it is very dry, with lively acidity, and according to Roset, has “more tension and more minerality.”  By tension, I believe that Roset  is talking about its liveliness.  By the way, my experience has been that Charles Heidsieck’s Brut Réserves age especially well, gaining more depth with maturity.

Charles Heidsieck’s new Brut Réserve also has a striking new look; thebottle is shaped like the entrance to its famous 2,000 year-old Gallo-Roman chalky wine cellar (one of the most impressive ones in Reims).  It really looks like a prestige cuvée, with its new black label and white lettering.  Current Brut Réserves are retailing between $35 and $45, averaging in the $40 to $42 range.  Expect to pay a bit more for the new Brut Réserve.  But you know something?  It will still be a bargain, considering the quality of the product.  

Like all Champagne houses, Charles Heidsieck’s non-vintage Champagne, its superb Brut Réserve, makes up between 85 to 90 percent of its production.  But Champagne Charles Heidsieck also makes three other Champagnes.  One is a rather rare Vintage Brut, which, unlike other houses, it releases only in certain years; in the last decade, only the memorable 1990, the 1995, and 2000 were sold in the U.S.A.  Charles Heidsieck did make a tiny quantity of 1996, which it sold only in France.  On a visit to the winery about 10 years ago, I tasted the 1996; it was so exceptional (I rated it “98”) that I ordered a case of it from a local store in Reims and had it shipped back to the U.S.  I still have six bottles left; I am drinking it up slowly, knowing that it will improve with a few more years of aging. 

Charles Heidsieck is about to release its new NV Rosé Réserve in the fall, along with its new Brut Réserve.  Both will come in the same, old-fashioned bottle, but the Rosé has a beautiful pink label.  The new Rosé Réserve is based on the 2007 vintage, with 20 percent reserve wines added.  It is crafted from equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, with 6 to 7 percent still Pinot Noir wine added for color.  I tasted the new Rosé Réserve, which is a light hue of pink, dry, bright, fresh, and so thoroughly delicious that’s it’s difficult to drink just one glass.  Charles Heidsieck also makes a Vintage Rosé on occasion; only three have been made recently, the 1985, 1996, and 1999.  (To honor the occasion of this column, we drank our last bottle of Charles Heidsieck’s 1996 Vintage Rosé on the night that I wrote this.  It was very good, ready to drink, and not as exceptional as Charles Heidsieck’s 1996 Vintage Brut white.)

The next Charles Heidsieck I tasted was an old favorite, the1995 Blanc de Millènaires.  I participated in two Critics’ Challenge judgings a few years ago, in which this very Champagne won “Best of Show” two years in a row.  It is an amazing Champagne, a blanc de blancs and the House’s prestige cuvée.  At 17 years old, it is still fresh, but definitely ready to drink.  The next Blanc de Millènaires will be the 2004, to be released in 2014.

The tasting ended with a bit of history, the 1981 Champagne Charlie.  This was the House’s previous prestige cuvée; the last vintage of Champagne Charlie was the 1985.  The 1981 Champagne Charlie was unctuous, with quite mature aromas, but with so much complexity of flavors!  I asked Cécile Bonneford if Charles Heidsieck planned to revive Champagne Charlie in the future.  She smiled at me and replied, “You never know! ”  Like all good Champagne producers, they have to keep some secrets.

I left the tasting with two impressions:  That the quality of Charles Heidsieck Champagnes is higher than ever; and that it is bewildering why much of the wine-drinking world has yet to know about this great Champagne.

Bollinger Grande Annèe Rosè Brut 2004 var nesten enda mer blek enn Charles Heidsieck`en. Noe fetere cuvèe stil, en mere seriøs vin, igjen denne bitre tonen i avslutningen som passer godt til en matbit, men dårlig alene. Jens prøvde å snakke opp denne uten å lykkes :) 92 poeng.

Cristal er en utskjelt champagne som, når den kommer på bordet i gode flasker er uslåelig. Men pga. navn og salgbarhet omsettes den nok litt for ofte (som Dom Perignon) med dårlige lagringsforhold.

Cristal 1982 var gylden, men ikke honning. En bra lagret flaske med bittert appelsinskall, kompleks og frisk i uttrykket. Intrikat, balanserer mot moden. Bør drikkes ? 96 poeng.

Cristal 1995 mer lys og strågul. Litt hul frukt som mange champagner fra 95 har. Men en frisk, deilig og spretten munnfølelse. Lett bitter men det er den frempå og åpne frukten som gjør champagnen. 92 poeng.

Cristal 1996 Korket. Livet er hardt og urettferdig.

Selosse Initiale Brut (degorgert oktober 2011) gjær, friskt og personlig, bra trykk med god konsentrasjon. Blanc de Blancs  fra tre yngre årganger fra lavereliggende vinmarker i Avize, Oger og Cramant.  88 poeng.

Selosse V.O. (degorgert februar 2012) mye mousse, enkel med knytt citrus, frisk, trang og vanskelig. Enkel frukt i munnen, men vil nok bli bedre med lagring. Blanc de Blancs  fra tre eldre årganger fra høyereliggende vinmarker i Avize, Oger og Cramant. 85 poeng.

Selosse Substance (degorgert september 2013) frisk, ren og slank i munnen. Snev av parafin, gjær og lang ettersmak. Karakterfull, men igjen en Selossechampis som er vanskelig å gi en høy poengsum. Blanc de Blancs  fra ca. 20 årganger (solera) fra vinmarker i Avize. 89 poeng.

Anselme believed not only in low yields and organic viticulture, he also believed in terroir. He was, in short, a heretic in Champagne.The greatness of Jacques Selosse wines come from a simple idea: to make profound Champagne, you must start with great fruit. In the 1970s, when Anselme Selosse came of age, such an idea was revolutionary. This was, after all, a time when the fruit that went into most Champagnes was of historically low quality, the result of high yields and excessive use of chemicals.

Not to be deterred, in 1980, when he took over his father's domaine, he slashed yields and rid his land of chemicals. And he began to focus, in a way unprecedented in Champagne, on his vineyards, all grand cru holdings in Avize, Cramant, and Oger.

He emerged as one of the world's most profound thinkers about the relationship between healthy soils and the wines that spring from them. And thanks to his genius, his fruit is not only Champagne's most physiologically ripe, but also its most expressive.

In the winery, he also defies convention, using only indigenous yeasts for fermentations and minimizing the use of SO2. Fermentation and aging is in wood barrels (less than 20% new), and wines are left on their fine lees for extended periods. And because, as Anselme says, "great Champagne needs no make-up, "dosage is kept to an absolute minimum."

Profound Expressions of Terroir

Anselme's purest expression of terroir is of course the famed Substance, a solera created in 1986. By marrying some twenty vintages, he removes vintage variation, allowing the Avize terroir to speak on its own.

His vintage Millésime does the opposite. Because it draws on the same parcels of vines each year, it is able to express, perhaps more than any other wine in Champagne, the character of the year.

As a pair, Brut Initial and Version Originale show the influence of age and terroir. Each is a blend of three vintages of Chardonnay from the same three villages: Avize, Oger and Cramant. Yet, while Initial is a blend of harvests from the mid-2000s from lower slope vines, Originale is made from older vintages and from hillside vines.

Anselme's Rosé is pure, intensely mineral Chardonnay from a pair of vintages, with a small amount of still Ambonnay Pinot Noir added.

The Relentles Pursuit of Terroir

In the fall of 2010, Anselme made big news when he announced that he'd be releasing a collection of six lieu-dit (single-vineyard) wines, each promising to be the definitive expression of a noble Champagne village.

His first step was to change the name of Contraste (his solera of Aÿ Pinot Noir) to "La Côte Faron," acknowledging its single-vineyard origins. Anselme also released "Les Carelles," a solera of 100% Chardonnay from the village of Le Mesnil.

Subsequently, Anselme will complete this collection with his 100% Pinot Noir cuvées "Sous le Mont" and "Le Bout du Clos"-from Mareuil and from Ambonnay, respectively. And for his 100% Chardonnay cuvées, Anselme will release "Les Chantereines" and "Chemin de Châlons" from Avize and from Cramant, respectively.

It is a measure of what Anselme has accomplished that in 1994, Gault-Millau named him France's best winemaker in every category, an unprecedented honor. Accolades like this have contributed to his reputation as perhaps the most original winemaker in France today, admired not only by his peers but by a legion of collectors worldwide who covet each and every bottle of Jacques Selosse Champagne they can find.

Vi avsluttet med en Kistler Pinot Noir 2002; mørk frukt, frisk syre, litt varm stil med eldet og noe sliten og gammeldags frukt. Bør drikkes. 88 poeng. 

Champagne of the Year 2014

GF 24.5.14

Champagne Cuveè William Deutz Millesimè 1988

Strågul, semimoden med god og pen mousse. Epler, autolyse, klassisk epleskrott, Blanc de Blancs ? Mye energi, skallmaserert munnfølelse med en bitter og kledelig avslutning. Kanskje litt for bitter og vanskelig hale, men det synes jeg ofte 1988 har. Lyse blomster, noe tanniner, stram og ultraklassisk. Utfordrende munnfølelse, en vin for de kresne, men ikke for alle. 94 poeng. Medatt av Are.

Champagne Deutz Blanc de Blancs Brut 1989

Lysere strågul med enda mere epleskrott. Elegant og stålaktig lineær. Syrlig og frisk og den mangler litt på finish. Sjøaroma, Blanc de Blancs ? Floral og saltaktig. Begynnende modning og relativ stram for årgangens litt bløte stil. Sitronskall, kompleks og rik. Champagnen fremstår mere moden enn nr. 1 og således viser de en korrekt årgangskarakter. En stor og deilig champagne og den kan fortsatt lagres. Bedre enn husets toppcuveè !! 94 poeng. Medtatt av Knut.

Champagne Cristal 1973, Roederer

Mørkere gylden farge med toner av butterscotch og karamell. En rik og utviklet champagne. Men denne har fremdeles spenst og sitter friskt og lenge i munnen. Fullmoden med bra konsentrasjon. Utvikler seg utrolig godt i glasset. Vinøs, kompleks og spennende. Men bør drikkes nå. Brun frukt er ofte ikke å foretrekke i champagne, men dette var bra ! 96 poeng. CHAMPAGNE OF THE YEAR 2014 !! Medtatt av Øyvind.

Champagne Cuveè William Deutz Millesimè 1988

Lysere strågul og lineær. Virker som den er i et enklere format enn de andre i rekken. 1996 ? Ung og fersk. Beholder friskheten i glasset. Bør fortsatt lagres. 92 poeng. Medtatt av Roar.

Champagne Charlie Brut 1985, Charles Heidsieck

Utviklet stil og en meget god munnfølelse. Semimoden, holder litt igjen og den kan fremdeles lagres. Kompleks og rik, bitter avslutning med sjø og elementer av tang. Endel dosage er det nok, kraftig og voluminøs i stilen og et kledelig snev av oksidative epler. Strukturert og den har noen tanniner bakerst som gjør den til en fabelaktig matchampagne. En stor champagne med en sinnsyk lengde. Pt. mangler den kanskje noen forføriske elememter. Men de vil komme. En meget god flaske og denne virker bedre enn den vi hadde for ett år siden. Jeg trodde dette var en Cristal. Flere hadde denne som den beste champagnen. 96 poeng. Medtatt av Kim.

Comtesse Marie de France Brut Millèsime 2002, Paul Bara

Rik, moden og utviklet. Litt for mye dosage og den mangler endel eleganse. Tydelig eik, Dom Perignon ? Men den er uforløst og bør lagres ytterligere. En toppcuvèe fra en ambisiøs produsent, som prøver vel mye her. Skiller seg ut i rekka. 91 poeng. Medtatt av Lars Ivar.

Champagne of the Year 2013

Den tradisjonell champagnefrokosten i Vinklubben ble avholdt lørdag 25.mai 2013.
Tilbudet av champagne er jo blitt formidabelt i Norge de siste årene, noe denne smakingen bar preg av.
Og spesielt liker vi champagne fra produsenten Charles Heidsieck...

Champagne Brut 1979, Charles Heidsieck

Strågul mot gylden. Utviklet stil, men fremdeles rik og pen i tøyet. De fleste var på en 20 år gammel champagne. 1990 ? Rolig mousse som dør hen i glasset. Vinøs og utrykksfull. God frukt på den slanke siden. Mangler kanskje litt eleganse og semi-presis munnfølelse. Litt spiss. Ved påfyll mere mot Cristal med sin slanke munnfølelse.Kim hadde med denne og "trodde" han hadde med en Champagne Charlie 1979 ! Men en veldig bra eldre standard vintage var det. Fellesscore 94 poeng.

Champagne Charlie Brut 1985, Charles Heidsieck

Strågul mot gylden denne også. Det var en ganske lik farge på de fleste av champagnene ! Noe mere trøkk og kant i munnen enn nr. 1. Et bredt slep av aromaer i munnen med touch av bitterhet i ettersmak. Mere tydelig autolyse og klassisisme enn nr. 1. Pinot, kremet og en fabelaktig balanserende frisk syre som topper det hele. Livlig i munnen i en utviklet stil, men fremdeles forfriskende. Veldig godt løft i smakskurven der epler og noe gul frukt dominerer. Men syrespiss og du tuller ikke med denne champagnen ! Tatt med av Roar. Fellescore 95 poeng.

Champagne Blanc des Millenaires Brut 1985, Charles Heidsieck

Kraftfull champagne i en mere opulent og rik stil. God mousse med en fantastisk innsmigrende munnfølelse. Mere eik, mere kraftessens og den oozer Cuvee-kvalitet. Fløtekarameller. Gylden, middels dyp, klar og balansert. Stor aromaintensitet med kalk og brioche. Fyldig og delikat og champagne blir ikke så mye bedre enn dette. En  karakterfull champagne som fortjener tittelen CHAMPAGNE OF THE YEAR 2013. Medtatt av Are og den fikk 97 poeng.



The house of Charles Heidsieck has seen something of a renaissance in recent years. It's been making waves with a succession of excellent wines, both vintage and non-vintage. Instrumental in the revival of this house has been Daniel Thibault, who died in 2002. Thibault was an excellent winemaker and blender, and has been responsible for what are probably the finest wines ever to bear the label of Charles Heidsieck.

The origins of Charles Heidsieck lie in 1785, when it started life as a Champagne company under the auspices of Florenz-Ludwig Heidsieck. This firm subsequently gave rise to all the Heidsieck Champagne houses; Charles Heidsieck, Heidsieck & Co Monopole and Piper-Heidsieck. Today both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck are under the ownership of Rémy Cointreau.

Up until the 1980s Charles Heidsieck produced a sound range of wines including a non-vintage Brut, a vintage wine and a prestige cuvée Champagne Charlie. But with the arrival of Daniel Thibault, and the backing of Rémy Cointreau, this was to change. Thibault's coup de grace was to convert the perfectly serviceable non vintage wine into a Brut Réserve. In order to achieve this Rémy Cointreau permitted sales to fall by millions of bottles so that Thibault could build up some reserve stocks. Whereas most houses have only a few vintages at their disposal for the production of the non vintage cuvée, Thibault had over eight vintages. Masterful blending of these older wines into the non vintage cuvée - which is, you may or may not agree, beginning to sound more like a multi-vintage prestige cuvée along the lines of Krug NV or Laurent-Perrier's Grand Siecle - with the reserve wines comprising up to 40% of the final blend, is what results in such a fabulous wine. Fabulous in it's own right, but particularly so if value for money is a concern. Further success came in 1997 when the already successful Brut Réserve was relaunched as the Brut Réserve Mis en Caves. With this change in designation Thibault was able to provide information regarding the non vintage cuvée by providing a date of cellaring on the label. The cellaring date follows on from the dated of the base vintage, so the Mis en Caves 1992, the first release, was comprised of 40% reserve wines and 60% the 1991 vintage. This model has continued with great success, with one of the most successful blends being the Mis en Caves 1997, based on the outstanding 1996 vintage. Overall I believe that this practice has been a great success for the consumer, who now actually know what they are drinking, unlike the situation with other non vintage cuvées which give no indication as to the base wine or blend at all. As such two bottles of externally identical non vintage Champagne may in fact contain two completely different wines. There is no such problem with the Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Mis en Caves range, however, and later vintages also included the date of dégorgement.

The range of wines produced here, other than the Brut Réserve Mis en Caves, includes two vintage wines the Brut Millésime and Brut Rose Millésime, both based on 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot Noir & Meunier, with the rose produced by the addition of red wine rather than the saignée method. The prestige cuvée currently produced is the Blanc des Millénaires, a pure Chardonnay cuvée. Although the Brut Réserve wines have seen great acclaim, Charles Heidsieck has not been raking in the profits. Sales have fallen, partly out of necessity whilst reserve stocks were built up, partly because the Mis en Caves concept took the basic cuvée out of the non vintage market somewhat. And the difference in quality between the Mis en Caves wines and the vintage wine has narrowed sufficiently to make the non vintage wine the preferred buy, affecting sales of the vintage wine. In addition, the once popular prestige cuvée Champagne Charlie is no longer produced, replaced by Blanc des Millénaires, which has not made the same impact as its predecessor. For the consumer though, the situation is good - the Brut Reserve Mis en caves wines offer extraordinary quality at an excellent price. I hope the currently evident quality is maintained by Daniel Thibaults's replacement, Régis Camus. (24/3/04)

Régis Camus is the chef de caves for both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck. He has an incredibly difficult job in that he must oversee two completely different wine lineups, each with their own style and fan base. I recently had the chance to sit down with Régis and discuss his vision and philosophy for Champagne. Assisting with some of the translations in our conversation was Charles Heidsieck/Piper-Heidsieck‟s International Communications Director Christian Holthausen

¤How difficult do you find it to oversee two completely different wine brands?
At first, it was very challenging as we had two very different wine styles and customer bases, each of whom expected the wines to be very different. We wanted each wine to excel and express itself in its own unique way. Each wine needed its own identity, which meant that we had to learn to think in two different directions at the same time. All of the wines for both Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck are vinified together and we have to determine which wines go into each brand every year. While certain wines normally swing one way or the other, we start each year with a clean slate. You know, the more I do this, the more I enjoy making both wines. I view them as two train tracks that never cross each other, butinstead run side by side.
  
¤To you, what are the differences between Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck?
The most obvious distinction is that Piper-Heidsieck is the larger brand, by a good margin. We produce around eight million bottles of Piper-Heidsieck compared to two million of Charles Heidsieck. The NV Piper-Heidsieck is a fresher wine that is built from younger wines and bright citrus. The reserves in a NV Piper-Heidsieck can fall as low as six percent and tend to be fairly recent. In contrast, Charles Heidsieck is more complex and built upon a minimum of forty percent reserve wines stretching back well over a decade; it is full of creamy, dough based notes and hints of vanilla and nuts. These basic profiles go through the entire range of each brand to some degree. It offers consumers two very clear choices and wines that match beautifully to a wide array of food.

 Charles Heidsieck has always had a philosophy of using a large amount of reserve wines in the NV Brut Réserve. Why and how did this come about?
This was the brainchild of my predescesor, Daniel Thibaut. The classic non-vintage Champagnes have always been built around a large amount of reserve wines spanning a decade or more. Daniel was given the opportunity to create his dream wine and that is how the NV Brut Réserve was born. Daniel insisted on at least forty percent of reserve wines and made sure that the non-vintage blend took precedence over all else. I completely agree with this direction and have continued this trend as it leads to a very high quality non-vintage Champagne.

 The NV Brut Réserve is really the staple of the Charles Heidsieck house and has been praised for many years. How has it remained consistently good for two decades?
As I have explained, we are dedicated to this wine above all other wines that we make. A non-vintage wine is often seventy to ninety percent of your sales and the benchmark of your brand, so it has to be good. Even before the NV Brut Réserve Mis en Cave series was launched, the Brut Réserve (sans Mis en Cave) was a complex wine with forty percent or more of reserve wines. It is key to use a good amount of high quality reserves and to give your non-vintage wine first choice of whatever wine or grapes it wants.

 What wines have been the most challenging for you to make?
It is always the non-vintage cuvees. A good vintage wine can take care of itself, but to make a good non-vintage wine year in and year out takes a lot of effort and can be a difficult job. In a way, we are lucky because we have a large stock of reserve wines. This helps to make a consistently good non-vintage wine, but is also challenging from a blending perspective.

 You used to clearly list the base vintage and disgorgement on the NV Brut Réserve, but have now changed directions on this. Why?
I was and am a strong supporter and believer in the Mis en Cave (base vintage) labeling and the clearly written disgorgement date. Unfortunately, the market found both confusing and in the long run, it was not the best move for business. We still list the disgorgement date on the neck foil of each bottle (rather discretely), but have dropped the base vintage designation. Consumers can still write us with their lot number and we will tell them whatever information they wish to know. If it didn’t cost us sales, we would be all for listing more information.

 How did Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck find their way back together again after so many years apart?
Both Charles and Piper (along with Heidieck & Co. Monopole) started from the original Heidsieck brand. We all went our separate ways in the nineteenth century, but Remy Martin brought Charles and Piper together again. Rémy-Cointreau (which was known as Rémy Martin at the time) purchased Charles Heidsieck in 1985 from Henriot right before Veuve Clicquot took over Henriot. Rémy then purchased Piper-Heidsieck in 1989 from the d’Alaun family and combined Charles and Piper-Heidsieck into one strong Champagne group.

 I really enjoy the Blanc de Millenaires, but have never found it to be
the true heart and soul of Charles Heidsieck in that it doesn’t call on
strong Pinot Noir; is Champagne Charlie ever going to come back?
People love Champagne Charlie. It is amazing to me that a wine that was only made from 1979 – 1985 can invoke so much passion. I have always liked the wine and we may one day bring it back, but for right now, it isn’t a wine we release in new vintages (though we do sell older vintages that we store in our oenotheque). It would be nice to see a prestige Charles Heidsieck cuvée with a good amount of Pinot Noir, but I don’t think our current prestige cuvée, the 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Millenaires (which debuted in 1983), is too shabby.

 What’s the story with Piper-Heidsieck Rare going from vintaged to non-vintage to vintaged again?
When Rémy purchased Piper-Heidsieck in 1989, Piper had its prestige cuvée called Rare. At this same time, Rémy also owned Krug and wanted to focus on making sure Krug had the “prestige” spotlight. As such, the Rare cuvee was discontinued after 1990 so as not to compete with the Krug line. When Rémy sold Krug to LVMH in 1999, things changed and we were asked to do a Piper prestige wine. With little time to get something on the market and no past plannning, the first few releases were non-vintaged in order to make the wines of high quality and still be able to get something out for the consumers. As we had time to plan for a vintage version of Rare starting in early 1999, we could set aside some of the best wines from 1998. Starting with the 1999 harvest, we were able to completely plan for it. It should be no surprise then that the “new” vintaged Rare debuted on the market with the 1998 vintage.

 Are there plans to release a 1996 Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires?
I can never say 100% to anything, but there will likely be a small release of this wine in the coming years. The wine is still in need of more time to mature since the 1996 vintage was very strong with a lot of acidity, but the wine will be beautiful. Whether the release will be 2011, 2012, or 2013, we don’t know yet. You will just have to stay tuned. When it is ready, we will release it. Look at the 1995 right now, it is fifteen years old and is very, very enjoyable. We want the 1996 to be this good or better – so we will wait for the right time.

 I know that Florens-Louis was once a vintage prestige cuvée of Piper
Heidsieck, but it is now a non-vintage wine. What exactly is the current
version of the Florens-Louis?
Florenz-Ludwig Heidsieck, aka Florens Louis Heidsieck (the French re-naming of a German name), founded the Heidsieck house in 1785 that eventually splintered into the three Heidsiecks. In honor of our founder, Piper-Heidsieck created their first prestige cuvée called Florens-Louis. It was a vintage wine, but was discontinued at the end of the 1970s in favor of the Rare cuvée. We have recently brought it back as a non-vintage wine that has a similar makeup to the basic NV Brut, but is aged longer on the lees and has a a lower and different dosage. It is not found in all markets

 Piper-Heidsieck was once known as a non-malolactic wine, but it now goes
through full malolactic fermentation; why was this change made?
I don’t think anyone can truly say that Piper-Heidsieck was always a non-malolactic wine. It certainly didn’t always go through malolactic, but there were times when it did so naturally – at least to some degree. I think the reputation it had as a non-malolactic wine stems from the fact the wines were not forced to undergo malolactic. We made the change in 1998 to put the wines through malolactic fermentation because we thought it made the end product better. While the lack of malolactic fermentation may not have been a big deal on the vintaged wines, the non-vintage cuvees are what the house is known by and Piper-Heidsieck’s non-vintage range is released on the young side and so doesn’t incorporate a large amount of reserves. Avoiding malolactic is not always the best recipe for success, especially when many consumers buy your Champagne shortly after release and plan to drink it the same day. We also do not think going through malolactic fermentation has cost the wine anything in terms of aging.

 I know Piper-Heidsieck has experimented with different wines in the US market. What is the story behind this?
Piper-Heidsieck and many other Champagne houses have always paid attention to their biggest growth markets and through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970’s, the United States was a key market. A vintage Rosé called Piper Pink was made specifically for the US market and it was different from the normal Millésime Rosé that we released throughout the world. From the 1950s until the 1970s, we also created a US market vintage cuvée called “Goût de l'Ambassadeur” or “Taste of the Ambassador”.

 You have had the unbelieveably hard job of following in the
footsteps of legendary winemaker Daniel Thibaut. What
was it like to work with him and eventually take over from
him?
It was an honor and a thrill. Daniel brought me over to Charles and Piper-Heidsieck in 1994 to assist in achieving his vision. He was a tireless worker and taught me a lot about winemaking and his philosophies on blending. It is very sad that he is not with us anymore (Daniel Thibaut passed away rather unexpectedly in 2002), but he was smart enough to make sure we had a good continuity plan in place and I am doing the same. None of us will last forever and we need to make sure that the next generation understands what we did, has a library of wines to learn and

Champagne Blanc de Millenaires Brut 1985, Charles Heidsieck

Strågul og i et mere urent trav enn forrige flaske Noe stillestående myrvann i nesa med antydning til råtten duft. Sjøaromaer og flere var på Blanc de Blancs. Noe kork kommer etterhvert med champignon og gummistøvler. Utviklet stil og ingen trodde dette var den samme champisen som flasken ved siden av. 91 poeng. Medtatt av Jon.

Og vi hadde en ganske lik flaske ifjor på Champagne of the Year 12.5.12; Moden, lys gylden, servert litt varm, enorm mineralitet, men skjemmende korkduft sitter i. Bedre på smak, men selv ved påfyll merkes korkduften. Klassisk stil med tydelige og markerte gjæraromaer og god mineralitet. Synd ! 89 poeng og sisteplass. Ca. kr. 2 200,- på Vinmonopolet Vika.

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Jacques Selosse 

Gylden farge og den mest utviklede stilen i rekka. Honningtoner med skrot/nedfallsepler som har ligget litt for lenge på bakken. Kremet og rik og ørlite oksidasjon. Enorm aroma og noe diskusjon mht kvalitet/sherryaromaer. Har fremdeles kraft og "staying power"  for en videre utvikling. Degorgert i 1993. 95 poeng. Kim ga denne 97 poeng. Medtatt av Øyvind.

Notat Øyvind Jacques Selosse Blanc de Bl gogget 1993. Facebook/Vinforum 26.5.13:

Hadde samme vinen på CotY smaking med Norges Beste Vinklubb (tm) i går. Havnet på 3. plass av 6, med 95p (og det i en klubb som er gjerrige på poengene!)
Denne åpnet et par timer før smakingen, og deretter helt i 6 små(!) glass. Fulgt i 2,5 timer derfra. Den mest utviklede av de 6 Champagnene, men holdt stand utover hele smakingen. Kom seg faktisk ytterligere på slutten, og vant et par poeng hos de fleste mot slutten. Nydelige lagringsaromaer av nøtter og smørkaramell, med en herlig balanserende syre. noe bunnfall i flasken, og selv om dette havnet i glassene, var det ikke sjenerende for opplevelsen. Dette er en Champagne jeg ville åpnet og latt stå med åpen kork i flere timer før smaking. Tror dette ville gi den det nødvendige løftet - og ville fremstilt bedre fra get-go.
Håper jeg får tak i flere

Gard Kverneland 24.5.13: Rett fra flasken, 15 grader. Masse ristede nøtter, skorpe på nybakt brød, strålende frukt på nesen mot tørket aprikos og papaya. I munnen startende kaffe toner, tørket tropisk frukt, nesten ingen bobler igjen. Mangler friskheten ift tidligere flasker, men ikke for høyt på Herfjord skalaen. Etter 30 min i flaske, 13,3 grader, fortsatt enormt mye brødbakst i form av skorpen på et godt stekt og rykende ferskt brød. I munnen har vinen bygget seg opp en del mer intensitet, frukten er mer konsentrert, modningsaromaene er tydeligere med brente kaffebønner. Åpen flaske (halvfull) i 2t, 11,5 grader, brødbaksten har roet seg ned, men fortsatt tilstede, mye klassiske modne aromaer som vinen har gitt tidligere, frukten er fortsatt flott om vell moden ift tidligere flasker, mangler friskhet. 91p

Champagne Diebolt - Vallois Fleur de Passion 1996

Lysere gul farge, den lyseste i rekka. Typisk 1996 friskhet, men samtidig frukt nok. Flere mener at 1996 syra nå "spiser opp endel flasker", men denne var bra. Antydning til eik, kremet og fløte. Toppcuvee-aktig i stilen med Pinot i toppfrukten. Flere var på Krug. Lang ettersmak med klassiske toner av gjær og autolyse. Mye frukt og denne kan fremdeles lagres. 95 poeng. Roar ga denne 97 poeng. Medtatt av Øistein.